Some of Microsoft's big players have been selling stock in the company. These transactions are said to be ordinary and should not be interpreted as meaning that Microsoft's execs are fearing the worst for the company's future.

Bill Gates has sold 1,425,000 shares for $136 million. The foundation he runs with his wife sold shares worth $2 billion. And Paul Allen sold $10 million shares for $1 billion. The number of shares sold are tiny fractions of the amounts Gates and Allen still own.

A Microsoft spokesperson said that Gates's sales take place on a regular basis as part of his “portfolio diversification.”

SAM'S OPINION
The reason I found this newsworthy is that I'm constantly stunned by the huuuuuge amount of cash involved with these Microsoft guys. We all know that Gates and Allen rank high on the list of the world's richest men (Mr. Bill is #1 still, I believe), but the sheer magnitude of wealth is stunning.

For me, the truly incredible part isn't the amount of money these guys got, but the fact that selling that many shares doesn't even scratch the surface of their percentages! Latest filings show Bill Gates with more than 780 million shares (!!!!), or approximately 15% of the company. Paul Allen has about 271 million shares, or about 5% of Microsoft. So even though the money from the shares they just sold would feed some small countries for months, the amount is just a tiny fraction of what these guys are worth. Unbelievable.

In closing, I should stress that these sales DO NOT mean that Bill and Paul think the DOJ is going to crush Microsoft, so don't sell your Microsoft stock based on this!